Springtime for Seaplanes and Toby James

Posted on March 9, 2011 by toby

Daffodils! A sure sign that spring is on its way

So, it seems like people like to talk about the weather a lot, and nobody does anything about it.  That’s what they tell me, anyway.  Me, being a Doberman, I don’t really give the weather a lot of thought. (except really HOT weather.  Not a fan.)

But!  I can tell that the weather is changing, and spring is really just around the corner.  We’ve had some really windy days here on Lake Union (you pilot-types would be interested to know that means about 15-20kts of wind.)  Rain comes and goes, and we’ve even had some hail. 

The sun, though, is shining–sometimes–and sunset is coming later and later. And the air is warming up!

What else does spring bring to the lake?  Why, birds of course!

My nemeses (plural of ‘nemesis’) are the Canada geese who frequent the lake.  They swoop in, honk at me, look cross-eyed, and then, er, “do their business” all over the dock.  That is, if I don’t catch ’em first!!!

Here are some photos of me in a standoff with my geese foes.

Standoff!

 

Please, come see our flowers as they’re blooming, and save me from the geese!

Hey! This is my dock!

Cheers,

T0by James

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The scoop on the show!

Posted on March 1, 2011 by toby

Hey, Gang,

I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse!

Did you make it down to the Northwest Aviation Conference?  I wish I could go… but they don’t let dogs inside!

If you did make it, thanks for stopping by our booth!  Tell us what we had on display at our booth, and we’ll give you 10% off our standard dual instruction rate of $235/hour.  All you have to do is tell us something about our booth display, and we’ll let you in on the deal. You’ll have ’til the end of March, so don’t dawdle!

cheers,

Toby James

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Congratulations, Jennie!

Posted on February 15, 2011 by toby

The proud student and her happy pal!

Hey there,

I wanted you to know about something special that’s happened here.  My friend Jennie, who works here keeping the office shipshape, is also a full-time student.  She’s enrolled in the South Seattle Community College program for Aviation Maintenance Technology.  As you can imagine, she loves working here, especially when my ‘dad’ Jim asks her to come turn a wrench, or anythng that involves tools and Carhartt overalls.

Jennie recently won a scholarship for her program, and I couldn’t be more pleased for her!  The scholarship was awarded by the PNAA.  And Jennie’s the only female in the program!  Pretty cool right?

Come congratulate Jennie, and say Hi to me!

cheers,

Toby James

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Love is in the air!

Posted on January 31, 2011 by toby

 

Won't you be my Valentine?

Did you know it’s almost Valentine’s Day?

Here at Seattle Seaplanes, we’re all about love and romance. I mean, we get to fly people for their special occasions all the time.  We’ve had people meet on our flights, propose on our flights, get married on our flights, fly to/from wedding receptions on our flights, and celebrate anniversaries on our flights! 

My people here know how to make your special occasion unforgettable.  I know – because as the song says, “I’m a lover, not a fighter!”

Anybody can buy a box of chocolates or flowers for Valentine’s Day.  (And, although chocolate is bad for dogs, I understand its appeal to humans.) Nothing wrong with those ideas for Valentine’s, but how about surprising your sweetie with a flight?  A scenic flight, a dinner flight, a private charter…. even a flight lesson!  It’s something unique and memorable for both of you!

Here’s a picture taken by our flight student Rick Hudson. He proposed to his fiance, Flor, from one of our seaplanes.

She said Yes, by the way!

So, as Feb 14 approaches, take a tip from your pal, Toby. A seaplane flight makes a fantastic gift!   And, I’d love to see you, too!

Cheers,
Toby James
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The Boat Show, The Boat Show, The Big Seattle Boat Show!

Posted on January 21, 2011 by toby

A banner for the show, along our street

 

January can be a quiet time around the lake. The weather usually keeps most folks inside, rather than out on their sailboats or paddleboards or what have you.  Or, at least, there are a lot fewer boats out at this time of year.

Many masts

Until this week, that is!  It’s time for the great, big Seattle Boat Show, an annual event that turns thoughts to summer, and nautical fun. The main show is at the Qwest Events Center, but here on Lake Union, we get to see the “boats afloat” part of the show. The south end of the lake has become Boat Central:  fancy yachts, beautiful sailboats, fun cruisers – they’re all there!

It sure is fun to be down here on the lake (even if the geese honk at me a little too much….)  Always something to see!

This week, we also saw a semi-annual event: the unusual sight of floating buildings! Lake Union Crew has two buildings they use for their clubhouse, and these unusual buildings are also certified vessels, allowing them to be taken anywhere on inland waters. 

If you’re a pilot, stop for a moment to think about dodging a two-story building on final approach….

M/V Inspiration (or is it M/V Unity? I dunno - I'm just a dog) of the Lake Union Crew

If boaters are thinking boats, I’m thinking seaplanes!  Maybe you should be, too.  Just a thought….

Cheers,

Toby James

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Congratulations, Carl

Posted on January 2, 2011 by toby

Here I am with my friend Carl after his first solo flight

We have a new solo pilot around 0W0!  My friend Carl Rosevear took a few laps around Lake Union all by himself.  It was a fantastic day for it: sunny, reasonably calm, and nice & cool.

Carl couldn’t stop smiling afterwards, and that makes me happy, too.

Congratulations, Carl!

I can't wait to congratulate Carl!

Congratulations, also, to Carl’s instructor, Greg.

Remember, if you want to learn to fly, too, you can come see us!

What a great way to start the new year….

Cheers,

Toby James

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A crisp, dry start to the New Year

Posted on December 31, 2010 by toby

The majestic Olympic Mountains, west of Seattle

Hey, everybody!

Can you believe it’s already 2011? I hope you’ve had a good holiday season, wherever you are.

It’s sunny, crisp, and cold here on Lake Union. Contrary to popular belief, it does not rain all the time in Seattle! In fact, Seattle is just about average among world cities in annual rainfall: around 36 inches (92cm) of moisture. New York, Miami, Sydney, and Bangkok get a lot more than that!  Don’t believe me?  You can check for yourself, here, for all the details. 

Anyway, I just wanted you to know that rain or shine, it’s a great day for a flight! And today, (at least!) the sun is shining.

Meanwhile, I got a present for Christmas from my friend Jennie! She works here when she’s not at college, studying to become an aircraft mechanic.  She got me a “mini-me” to sit at the front desk!  I’d rather chew on Mini-Me, though, so they’re keeping it up out of reach.  Darn!  It’s a nice touch, though.

Toby, Jennie, and "mini-Toby"

As many of you know, on New Years Eve, it’s traditional in many places to sing “Auld Lang Syne” at the stroke of midnight. Being a Doberman, I never bothered much to learn the words (I’m usually sleeping by then, anyway!)  The song was written by Scotland’s great poet, Robert Burns, and is written a Scots dialect.  (being a Doberman, I don’t worry much about dialects, either) But, in case you’re curious, here is how you’d pronounce the words with a Scottish accent:

“Shid ald akwentans bee firgot,
an nivir brocht ti mynd?
Shid ald akwentans bee firgot,
an ald lang syn*?”

(yeah, I looked it up on Wikipedia)

So, from all of us at Seattle Seaplanes, Happy New Year, and come see us in 2011!

Cheers,

Toby James

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Happy Holidays, everyone!

Posted on December 20, 2010 by toby

Is that the shadow of Christmas past?!

December in Seattle means changeable weather, among other things. It means snow in the Cascades and Olympics. It means Santa is water-skiing on Lake Washington.  It means downtown is busy with shoppers. (I hope somebody’s going to the pet store for presents!)

The top of Seattle’s Space Needle, all lit up for Christmas

And the Space Needle, looming above Lake Union, is all lit up for the holidays!

We’re still flying here at Seattle Seaplanes over the holidays.  Cold, dry winter days are the best conditions – the mountains show up crisply with their blanket of freshly-fallen snow. The water sparkles, and the air is still.

But, in case it’s rainy, don’t let that deter you from the idea of a flight.  It’s still a great day to fly, and we’ll be happy to take you up!

Gift certificates come in handy at any time of the year – just call or shoot us an email, and we’ll be happy to help you out.

We’ve taken the opportunity of a somewhat quieter time to get some work done on some of the airplanes. One of them got a new propeller – here’s a study in just how long a propeller is, relative to a Doberman and his toy orange bone!

Two dogs long and one dog tall?

And, along with everyone else, my friend Kareen and I got into the holiday spirit this week!   She works here on the weekend, so stop by sometime to say Hi!

Kareen and I are getting ready for Christmas!

So, from all of us here at Seattle Seaplanes, we wish you Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays to all!

Cheers,     Toby James

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C’est magnifique! “Occupation Double” comes to Seattle Seaplanes!

Posted on December 2, 2010 by toby

Recently, we had real, live TV stars at Seattle Seaplanes!  Let me tell you about it, because it was exciting!

Jo-Eve and Charles, excited for their flight!

There is a TV show from Quebec, Canada, that’s called “Occupation Double.”  It’s a reality show in which guys and gals compete for each other’s affections It’s been showing on the TV for several seasons now, and this season, everyone shared a house up in Whistler, BC. That’s just up the road from us.  At a certain point, the producers wanted one of the couples to come to Seattle to take a scenic flight. Just the two of them (plus a camera person, plus one of our trusty pilots, of course)

(If you don’t understand French, you can learn a little more about the show, in English, here.  Me, I’m lucky – dogs can speak-and understand-any language!)

Two of the contestants, Charles (‘Chuck’) and Jo-Eve (‘Jo’) came to Seattle to take a scenic flight, under the watchful eye of the cameras. Although it wasn’t the greatest day for a flight, they enjoyed it, and had big smiles, even when the camera wasn’t on 🙂

Their schedule was such that we didn’t get a chance to play with my toys, but I did hear one of them remark  “Quel beau chiot chien.” 

The stars with their pilot-to-the-stars, Kit

Do what the stars do!  Come take a flight with us (and play with me!)

Cheers,

Toby James

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Snow Day!

Posted on November 22, 2010 by toby

 

Checking the airplanes to make sure everything's OK

It’s a “La Niña” year, so they tell me, and here in the Pacific Northwest, that means snow!

We didn’t get a lick of it in the winter of 2009-2010, but this year, we’ve got our first snow in November.  Not the greatest flying conditions, but a great time to play, play, play!

I like the snow!

 Don’t let this bit of sea-level snow discourage you from making plans to take a flight! The holidays are coming up, and we do offer gift certificates that are good all year round. 

Dock patrol!

Well, off to check the weather again – or at least play in it!

Cheers,

–Toby James

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